A. J. MacKenzie (Letters May 11) states that "the best gift we can give all of our children is a good command of the English language". Furthermore, that "fluency in Maori is not going to cut it", should people travel or seek work overseas.
No, te reo is the best gift we can give, raising children as bicultural citizens with a Maori values skill set to add to their kete. Our world would indeed be different. Property speculation, land sales to overseas buyers and homelessness would not exist under mana whenua. Intensive dairying practices, polluted rivers and lakes would not exist under kaitiakitanga.
Whenua would not be a commodity but a taonga revered and respected in its natural state. Papatuanuku's beauty would continue to drive our billion dollar tourism industry. In their travels about the world, whakawhanaungatanga would equip our children with the skills that foster unity, by helping them to appreciate difference and understand diversity. They would also be bicultural ambassadors strengthening our Kiwi identity to the world.
When my cousin's daughter Catherine was at intermediate, her teacher kept calling a student named Rangi as Rang-gee. "His name is Raa - ngee, miss." The teacher said, "Well I can't pronounce it that way." Catherine replied, "If we mispronounce English words we would be expected to correct it miss." Butchered pronunciation of the Maori (and English) language would not exist under manaakitanga or mana ki te tanga(ta)- respect for another person. Te reo is a gift, puritia!
WAIRANGI JONES
Rotorua
